MasterWorks

What is MasterWorks

Short Version

MasterWorks consolidates all the software, blogs, websites, spreadsheets, and articles I have created under a unifying entity. It all started with the TKDTutor website, which I built because of my desire to inform martial students about Taekwondo and all aspects of the martial arts, and to show them how to avoid being misled by myths, misconceptions, fraud, and outright lies. 

Over time, I created more martial‑arts–focused projects, so I collected all the projects under one entity, TKDTutorage Software. Although operated as a business, TKDTutorage was more of an avocation rather than a vocation; therefore, although its solutions were powerful and beneficial, they were offered for free or at a nominal cost. 

Over the years, my projects expanded to include the many other things I enjoy exploring and creating. Many projects began as tools for my own use, but when I realized they could benefit others, I refined and shared them. Today, all these creations—whether websites, software, or spreadsheets—now live collectively under the name MasterWorks.

Definitions

• • TKD: TKD is an acronym for Taekwondo.

  • Tutor: As a verb, to tutor is to teach, assist, or guide students in a specific subject.

  • Tutor: As a noun, a tutor is one who tutors without assuming the duties of a primary instructor.

  • Tutorage: A tutorage is a place where tutoring is conducted.

  • TKDTutorage: TKDTutorage is a place where TKDTutor tutors students in the art of Taekwondo.

Long Version

It began in 1998 with a simple mission: to help martial arts students understand Taekwondo more clearly—free from myths, misconceptions, and misinformation that too often surrounds the art. After two years of research, writing, and web development, TKDTutor.com (Taekwondo Tutor) launched on January 1, 2000. What started as a focused Taekwondo resource has since evolved into a collection of over 900 articles covering the full spectrum of martial arts.

In 2000, when my Taekwondo instructor left the International Taekwondo Alliance to run his own school, he asked me to build software to track students and print rank certificates. I created a Microsoft Access application to meet that need. When he later joined Taekwondo America in 2001, certificates were no longer required, so I adapted the program into an attendance tracker.

That same year, I completed MARK1 (Martial Arts Records Keeper)—a barcode-based attendance and testing system. As word spread, more Taekwondo America schools adopted it, and its success led the National Office to request a certificate management application. In 2002, they began using my TASK (Taekwondo America School Keeper) software. As MARK1 expanded and became linked to TASK, I renamed it TASK2 (Taekwondo America Student Keeper) to better reflect its purpose.

Over time, however, TASK2’s piecemeal growth made it sluggish. In 2005, I rebuilt it from the ground up as TaskMaster, designed to meet the needs of any martial arts school. To unify these projects, I coined the umbrella name TKDTutorage, formally incorporated as TKDTutorage Software (DBA as TKDTutrage) in 2009.

On paper, TKDTutorage was a business. In practice, it was a calling—a way to merge my love of martial arts with my passion for building systems. Yet the demands of running a business eventually weighed heavily on me. Deadlines, expectations, constant forward pressure—it wasn’t the life I wanted. In 2012, I chose to scale back, keeping only the project that still felt meaningful: maintaining TKDTutor.com. 

At my core, I’ve always been a data person. Numbers, patterns, and structure resonate with me. I build spreadsheets and databases not only to manage finances but to document hobbies and personal history. Many began as tools for my own use, but when I realized they could benefit others, I refined and shared them. Today, all these creations—whether websites, software, or spreadsheets—now live collectively under the name MasterWorks,